


humans, immortality, and the inevitable and ruthless death that is inescapable even if your species somehow acquired immortality through various scientific advancements

by phoebici



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26225551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoebici/pseuds/phoebici
Summary: humans achieved immortality. it's not as great as it seems. just ask the person who was abandoned by their crew and left to rot on a chunk of rock floating in space in, quite literally, the middle of nowhere! how fun.





	1. introductory lesson

Humanity conquering death was truly a groundbreaking revolution. With the inability to die, wars ended, segregation and starvation and all bad things that ailed the world were solved, and humanity progressed at a breakneck pace. We found our way to the stars, to different planets, colonizing entirely new worlds as the population expanded, and building homes for the New Humanity. Never before had we seen such prosperity and such immense wealth; in not only scientific advancements, but in wealth. Romance, culture, friendships, religion, everything is seeing a new light that we as a people never thought we'd see. 

Truly, the conquering of death was what humans needed to come together as a species. It has, as a whole, united us. We all bled the same blood before yes, but now, we all live the same way. Infinitely. Which, quite frankly, would be amazing. 

If I wasn't stuck on a goddamn rock in the middle of nowhere, in a quadrant that's primarily unexplored in this section of space. The only thing I'm thankful for is that my crew left me with something to anchor myself to this rock. Immortal as humanity may be, we still experience fear. And I for one, would rather be tethered to a rock than floating around in the vast emptiness around me. 

If you didn't know, it's cold in space. Very cold. And my suit has barely any power left. Another great thing about our immortality? We still feel all pain. We can still hurt, we just won't die from it. 

I have that to look forward to. If I don't take off my helmet and let the Sleep take control. We'll see, I don't think I'm at that point yet, but... looking out into the endless sea of blackness and stars, once a distant thought full of warmth and vibrancy... right now, all I see is a cold expanse that doesn't care if you can live or die. 

We might have bit off more than we could chew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi and welcome to my crib. the updates to this will be extremely short because I'm just now getting out of writer's block. I will add tags n stuff as I go. 
> 
> this story is inspired by a post by writing-prompt-s on tumblr and the link can be found here (https://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/626827325540007936/when-humanity-beat-death-you-celebrated-youre). 
> 
> thank you for reading!


	2. a poorly timed feast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> don't drink and get marooned, kids

I have a predicament. You see, even though humanity has no need for food or drink, we still do. It's a pleasure thing, like massages or hot tubs. It tastes good and all of our organs still work and all that so you know, why not? Plus, nowadays food is extremely cheap. What with the whole, *not needing it* thing. 

Despite this, I have a confession. The night before my crew -- those cursed, good-for-nothing bastards -- abandoned me on this chunk of rock, we might have had a feast. We had just found something incredibly wonderful! A habitable planet, and sensors indicated the only life that was on it was non-intelligent animals. But that's another story for another day. The feast. 

Ah, it was a glorious feast. We had meats, we had wine, we had vegetables it was all so delicious. Even thinking about it makes my mouth water... 

But now I regret it. 'Cause I have to piss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had to get this one out before I went to bed lmao


	3. a prison of your own making

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what a classic anime antagonist, am I right folks?

The beeping wakes me up. I don't know how long I've been out, but I've officially run out of oxygen. Soon, I'll be stuck in the Sleep. I let out a heavy sigh, fogging the glass of my helmet. "I should have taken off my helmet when they left me here." 

I pause, wondering if that's... _really_ my voice. How long have I been out here? My throat is scratchy like I haven't spoken in... weeks. 

I let out another sigh, mentally counting the seconds it takes for the fog to dissipate. "Sometimes I wonder what I could have done different. If there was something I said or did that made my crew hate me enough to strand me out here. I honestly have no idea. I can't really tell how long it's been, in a place like this there's no real concept of time. But despite that I can't help but feel like I've spent days thinking about every last word I've said to them." 

Nobody replies. I can only stare out into the inky blackness, to the distant stars. 

"What could I have said that made them hate me this much? Humans, immortality... sentencing someone to this is like sentencing them to- to hell!" I can feel my blood boiling, my voice rising. The oxygen sensors beep angrily, warning me that extended speaking will dry out my supply, and that only pisses me off more.

"I can't leave. I can't go anywhere. I'm stuck in this god-awful blackness counting every grain of space-dust that gathered on this god forsaken rock and they're off gallivanting in MY goddamn ship!" My fist slams into the stone of the chunk of rock I'm sitting on, a plume of silvery, shimmery dust rising like a mushroom cloud from the impact. I stare in silence, watching it slowly rise, then drift off into nothing. 

The beeping dims away, oxygen use stabilizing. "I'm not going to be lost. I'll find my ship. I'll show them." I scoff, shaking my head. "Classic, cliche line," I mutter. I grab a fistful of dust and toss it into the nothing, watching the cloud disperse as each speck drifts its own way. I feel a sort of cold determination blossom, and can feel myself smile. "Well, if nothing else, I'll find my way back. That, I can guarantee. Not even the Sleep will stop me."


	4. mosique

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a revelation, a funeral

My name is Mosique. I was thirty years old when humanity discovered the cure to aging. Since then, it has been one-hundred and eleven years. Humanity has progressed at a breakneck speed, and we even invented space travel. Before, it would be too dangerous to travel the way we do. But we have lost the ability to feel fear as a side effect when we lost the ability to die. 

My name is Mosique. I can't remember my parents' faces, but I wish I could. Maybe it would have brought me some modicum of comfort. I have come to the conclusion that in a short time, my suit will run out of oxygen, and I will face the one thing humans still fear. The Sleep. 

For those of you that don't know, the Sleep is a state like death. The only thing we have even close to this. When our bodies are damaged beyond its capability to support life, our brains and bodies shut off until it can heal. If it can't heal, then we simply _don't_ turn back on. A state like death. And the Sleep is when a body is intentionally put through enough damage and _permanently_ kept that way, that it won't turn back on. Though technically impermanent, there's no way for me to avoid this in my situation. 

There's a high chance I'll never be found. That I'll be stuck in the Sleep forever. I can only hope that it doesn't last forever. 

I don't think I realized how afraid I am. This is why, I realize, why my crew insisted on coming out so far into the dead zone of space, in the void between galaxies. They didn't want me to wake up. 

I want revenge. Desperately, I want them to suffer the way I am, the way I will. 

But I don't want to go into the Sleep. More than anything I can feel the primal urge to flee, the horrible, nerve-wracking _fear_ I feel running through every nerve, a remnant of an age when humans feared death. 

My name is Mosique. 

I am one-hundred and forty-one years old. I can't remember my parents' faces, nor my last name. I am lost in space, with no hope of ever coming back. We humans went too far.


End file.
